Australia v Pakistan, 1st Test, Melbourne, 1st day

Ricky Ponting has received two belated Christmas presents: clearance to play the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan and a correct call at the coin toss. The arm injury Ponting has nursed since the Perth Test against West Indies has improved markedly over the past week, and the Australian captain's inclusion in the starting XI should prove a significant boost for a team struggling to assert itself on the international stage. Phillip Hughes, Australia's reserve batsman, has been omitted.

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Australia's other injury concern, Nathan Hauritz, has also been ruled fit to play, ensuring another near miss for back-up spinner Steven Smith. Peter Siddle stands as the only change from the third Test against West Indies, replacing Clint McKay. He will be partnered in the pace attack by Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger.

Danish Kaneria and Umar Gul are the major omissions for Pakistan, with Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rauf taking their places in the starting side. The loss of Kaneria to a finger injury is a significant blow for the tourists, although Ajmal did manage to confound Australia with his big-turning doosra during the limited overs series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai earlier this year.

Kaneria's fourth finger on his spinning hand was hurt as he attempted a return catch from Daniel Vettori in the third Test in Napier against New Zealand earlier this month. He aggravated it during fielding practice two days before the start of the Test and though he bowled yesterday in the nets, he did so with some discomfort.

"The injury to his finger hasn't gotten better, so we decided not to risk it," Abdur Raquib, the team manager, told Cricinfo. Kaneria has struck a rich vein of recent form, picking up 20 wickets in his last three Tests. He was also Pakistan's leading wicket-taker on their last tour to Australia in 2004-05.

Gul's dropping might cause some more surprise given his place in Pakistan's pace trio. Raquib confirmed that there was no injury, but that he was simply left out, presumably on form. Since his heroics for Pakistan in the World Twenty20 in June, Gul has struggled to adjust back to Test cricket; in six Tests in Sri Lanka and New Zealand since, he has picked up 15 wickets at over 45 though that hides a few good, luckless spells in New Zealand in particular.

Rauf, a domestic veteran with over 450 first-class wickets, has been in and around Pakistan squads for some time, finally making his Test debut earlier this year in Sri Lanka. He impressed with his bounce in particular in a couple of spells, but Mohammad Asif's international return meant he has had no further opportunities until today.

Australia 1 Shane Watson, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pakistan 1 Salman Butt, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Faisal Iqbal, 4 Mohammad Yousuf (capt), 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Mohammad Aamer, 9 Abdur Rauf, 10 Mohammad Asif, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Information from http://www.cricinfo.com/ausvpak09/content/current/story/441200.html